Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Men's Cross Country Leads Off Season Saturday with Bucknell Open
9/2/2011 8:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Sept. 2, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bison men's cross country gets its season up and running when it hosts the Bucknell Open on Saturday morning. Races, which include opponents from Susquehanna, Bloomsburg and Juniata, begin at 9:30 a.m. at the West Fields.
The Bison took 10 of the top 12 spots at last year's Bucknell Open. The top returning finisher from a year ago is D.J. Krystek (Pitcairn, Pa./Gateway Senior), who placed fourth overall with a three-mile time of 15:06. Bucknell eventually went on to place sixth at the Patriot League Championships a month later. That finish led them to being voted sixth in the 2011 Patriot League Preseason Poll, which was released earlier this week.
Following their season debut on Saturday, Bucknell will prepare for a tri-meet against Pittsburgh and Duquesne at Pittsburgh's Schenley Oval Park on Saturday, Sept. 17.
Below is a more in-depth look at the Bucknell men's cross country 2011 season:
With pride on the line and expectations higher than they have been in recent years, Bucknell men's cross country has a definite goal in mind and it centers on Oct. 29 at the Patriot League Championship. A disappointing team finish in 2010 followed by a second straight outdoor track league championship has spurred the Bison to believe that the only way to go is up.
“We know right now that we're going to be a much better team than we were a year ago. A year ago, we had a lot of issues with injuries, people not returning to the team, and we lost a lot of great kids to graduation from the year before,” said head coach Kevin Donner. “This year, a lot of our guys had a great spring, they had a great summer. They seem to be very focused. How much better, I don't know. We'll find out as we progress, but we're definitely much better than finishing sixth in the Patriot League. Where we were a year ago, that's not the Bucknell expectation, and it's something we're not proud of. We're going to do something about that.
“Our goal this year is to go top three in the Patriot League, and we definitely would like to get back in the top 10 in the Mid-Atlantic Region,” Donner continued. “I think we have a good chance with the type of team that we have if we can progress throughout the year and keep them healthy.”
The Bison had a different lead finisher in four of their first five varsity races last season before Dave Brown claimed his spot at the front of the pack for the Patriot League Championship and NCAA Mid-Atlantic Championships. Brown, who started the 2010 season injured, is expected to maintain his position as one of Bucknell's top runners this fall. Brown finished 23rd overall at the league meet, just missing postseason honors.
“I do believe that he has a good chance to be a First Team All-League type guy,” Donner predicted of his co-captain.
Also captaining the Bison this season are Dan Dillon and Brian Charland. Dillon has had limited racing experience due to injuries – he has raced just four times in his cross country career – but after being healthy for much of last spring, the senior is poised to make his mark in his final campaign.
Along with Dillon, the Bison will also look to D.J. Krystek and Robert Yamnicky to make up the team's lead pack. Krystek showed some key signs of improvement at the end of last season. By his final race at the IC4A Championships, the then-sophomore led the team as the only Bison in the top 50, taking 32nd overall.
Yamnicky put together a solid sophomore campaign all the way from cross country through outdoor track season. Yamnicky scored for the Bison in five of his six meets in 2010, finishing as high as second on the squad and 42nd overall at the Pre-National Invitational in October. He also earned a top-30 placing at the Patriot League Championship, good for third on the team.
“Just those four (Brown, Krystek, Dillon, Yamnicky) alone are all better than our number one runner was last year, so that should make us a lot better,” said Donner.
Sophomores Tyler Erhard, Eric Balaban and David Strauss were often overlooked during their rookie season, but the trio is looking to move up the ranks and become greater contributors for the Bison thanks to some added experience.
“Those guys got through their freshman year, and if they can stay healthy, they should be varsity-type guys for us,” said Donner.
While the core of the Bison has had its fair share of experience over the years, the squad will look for some of its younger runners to develop into contributing members of the team as well.
“On the men's side, we have a fantastic recruiting class of freshmen,” said Donner. “However, the transition to the longer distance always makes it tough to project if these freshmen are going to come in and help us or not in cross country.”
Some of the rookies Donner does expect to make an early impact are Andrew Kirna, Andrew Garcia-Garrison and John Dugan. Kirna's high school times in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters are as fast as any of Donner's recruits during his tenure. Garcia-Garrison also had a strong high school cross country career competing for the same Detroit, Mich., high school and coach as Donner in his earlier days.
“Those three stick out right now as our three better freshmen,” said Donner.
Michael McGowan, Glen Williams and Alex Jagelsky have also had a strong summer leading up to their rookie season.
The Bison will get their first look at the team on Sept. 3 when they host the Bucknell Open. Soon after, they'll be making the trip to Bethlehem, Pa., on Sept. 30 for the Paul Short Memorial Invitational, which will be the same site as the Patriot League Championship hosted by Lehigh on Oct. 29.
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